Montgomery dates to 1796, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #559 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Montgomery was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Montgomery’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Montgomery is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #559 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Montgomery’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Montgomery’s 7.4 sits above most of its state (70% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1796.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Montgomery’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Settled in 1795, Montgomery is one of the oldest settlements in Hamilton County. A log cabin was the first tavern of the community; this was a resting place for teamsters and travelers on the main road. In 1802, Nathaniel Terwilliger laid out the town. In 1806 and 1807 a number of people from Montgomery, New York, settled around this point for trade and farming, and named the village for their former home.
Passages that mention Montgomery, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Montgomery county, Ohio, containing a history of the county1882 · page 163Read the page →
Read the text
HHBRE is perhaps no township of Montgomery County so closely identified with the early history and subsequent growth of Dayton as Mad River, and altmgh it was one of the last townships erected, its pioneer history begins with t settlement at the mouth of the stream whose name it bears. It was not mil May 24, 1841, that Mad River was cut off from Dayton Township, and its , sent boundaries established. The first election was held on Monday, May 28, 1 4, at the tavern of John Cos, in Section 27, on the road leading from Day ton ^euia, and this old building is still in a fair state of preservation. This subdi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
In 1796, according to Wikidata. Montgomery’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1920 counted 378 people here.
How does Montgomery rank for history?
Montgomery is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #559 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Montgomery?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Universalist Church Historic District, with 3 contributing buildings. 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Montgomery?
1% of Montgomery’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1976.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2009
2009
2009
